# How common are backyard swimming pools in non US countries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 3, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891 "2014-06-03T03:17:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/21 "2014-06-03T16:38:18Z")
Private pools are very rare in China. Most people in cities live in apartments or condos, and most people living outside of cities don’t have much money. You might see one now and the in a multi-million dollar house, but it’s definitely not something the middle class (who, realistically, don’t actually have much spending power by US standards) would expect. Public pools and hot spring complexes are a thing, and new housing developments occasionally have them. Swimming in the local river is also popular. But it’s with noting that “middle class” in China is drastically different than the US. If you are middle class in China you are probably sharing a small apartment with a variety of family members, hoping to upgrade from a motor scooter to a car one day, and pretty proud of your refrigerator. A US suburban style home would be pretty luxurious. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/22 "2014-06-03T16:40:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 1 for every 20,000 people is pretty uncommon by US standards. There are a shade over 8 _million_ residential pools in the US, versus ~[250,000](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1197150/Why-dont-need-swimming-cash-install-pool-home.html) in the UK. That should have begun “1 for every 1,000…” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Redfishhunter930](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Redfishhunter930](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redfishhunter930)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/23 "2014-06-04T01:08:40Z")
Fly into Or over Montreal. You would be amazed at the number of swimming pools in backyards ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/24 "2014-06-04T01:45:48Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 1 for every 20,000 people is pretty uncommon by US standards. There are a shade over 8 _million_ residential pools in the US, versus ~[250,000](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1197150/Why-dont-need-swimming-cash-install-pool-home.html) in the UK. Yes. But large parts of the US enjoy a climate in which people will get much more use of, and enjoyment from, a residential pool than anyone would get from a residential pool in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/25 "2014-06-04T02:03:27Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > How common are they in the US? I don’t really see whole bunches of them around - but then, I live in northern New England, a fairly cold part of the country. Well, while house-hunting in the Albany, NY area a very large number of properties either had a pool or used to have a pool. All kinds too–in-ground, above-ground, small, large, everything. You might be able to use a non-heated pool from late May to September here and maybe a bit earlier/later if it was heated. But I don’t understand why there are so many pools around here and most of the time it was a detracting factor to the property. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/26 "2014-06-04T03:25:46Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 1 for every 20,000 people is pretty uncommon by US standards. There are a shade over 8 _million_ residential pools in the US, versus ~[250,000](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1197150/Why-dont-need-swimming-cash-install-pool-home.html) in the UK. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That should have begun “1 for every 1,000…” :smack: That probably varies pretty drastically by state though. Higher in the south. Higher in suburbs of cities vs inner city or rural. And new pool builds fluctuate pretty closely with the economy. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/27 "2014-06-04T05:09:27Z")
I’ll also confirm that private outdoor swimming pools are essentially inexistent in Japan. Even outside of cities, residential properties are rarely larger than 200 m[sup]2[/sup] (2000 sq. feet). There just wouldn’t be any place to put it. Swimming pools are _hugely_ popular in some parts of Canada. Check out residential neighbourhoods around Montreal: https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=45.4464797,-73.8467381&z=16&output=embed&dg=ntvb&q=Montreal,%2BQC&cid=102065513354821790132792335937925279727 https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=45.5794831,-73.7131316&z=16&output=embed&dg=ntvb&q=Montreal,%2BQC&cid=102065513354821790132792335937925279727 https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=45.6567254,-73.875133&z=16&output=embed&dg=ntvb&q=Montreal,%2BQC&cid=102065513354821790132792335937925279727 ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/28 "2014-06-04T07:32:25Z")
In Singapore pretty much every condo will have a large pool - which generally includes some sort of wading area and a play area. Private pools are very rare except among the ultra rich that are paying multiple millions for their properties. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/29 "2014-06-04T09:11:50Z")
In some areas in the US like Arizona practically every house has its own backyard pool. But then their “yards” are mostly all sand and gravel. Here in the midwest inground pools are very rare and unless a family is rich I’ve seen more of them removed than installed. People put up above ground pools which are cheap when they have kids but they usually take them out when their kids grow up. Removing a below ground pool is expensive. We have some friends who faced a quandry. Fix a crack in their pool’s liner for around $10,000 or just go ahead and fill it in for around $15,000. They went ahead and repaired it. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/30 "2014-06-06T02:52:25Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#): > > Curious how common is a house with a pool outside of the US? There are around 250,000 swimming pools registered in the greater Sydney area, and based on the 2011 census 926,000 separate residences. So around 1 in 4 homes have a backyard pool. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/31 "2014-06-06T09:34:02Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Removing a below ground pool is expensive. We have some friends who faced a quandry. Fix a crack in their pool’s liner for around $10,000 or just go ahead and fill it in for around $15,000. They went ahead and repaired it. Maybe I’m being stupid, but how does it cost $15,000 to fill in a pool? Empty water out, smash up the concrete sides and base (most of which could be reused as fill), fill in the hole with rubble, add topsoil and turf. Job done! ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/32 "2014-06-06T10:34:26Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Maybe I’m being stupid, but how does it cost $15,000 to fill in a pool? Empty water out, smash up the concrete sides and base (most of which could be reused as fill), fill in the hole with rubble, add topsoil and turf. Job done! I did a quick search and found this: [Filling In An In-ground Pool](http://www.annsentitledlife.com/library-reading/filling-in-an-in-ground-pool/) It isn’t that easy to fill a properly constructed pool:) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/33 "2014-06-06T12:09:09Z")
Of course, you could just disguise it as a quarry, and wait. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/34 "2014-06-06T18:00:10Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Pretty common in South Africa in the middle class and up, but bear in mind that our middle class is tiny, so _overall_ they’re not that common. But of the people I know personally (Upper-Middle, professionals, mostly 30-something couples) I’d say \>75% of those with houses have a pool (we’re an exception, ourselves, but that’s because we use my in-laws’ pool 🙂 ) And the ones in apartments, the apartment complex will usually have a communal pool. I think the same holds for all the other big cities like Joburg and Durban. Yep. Google’s satellite view of my parent’s house in Cape Town’s southern suburbs shows 13 out of 14 houses on their block have pools, and that seems consistent for the neighborhood as a whole. It is an ideal climate for them. I’ve seen them far less in United States cities I’ve lived in. Even Pompano Beach, FL which has the right climate. More understandable in other places like Berkeley, CA where you can make more money by turning the pool into four apartments 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/35 "2014-06-06T18:30:23Z")
Where did you go in Pompano Beach where every house didn’t have a pool? ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/36 "2014-06-06T18:46:27Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Where did you go in Pompano Beach where every house didn’t have a pool? I just didn’t see it that much. Maybe I was in a very specific small pool desert? ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/37 "2014-06-06T22:59:22Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Maybe I’m being stupid, but how does it cost $15,000 to fill in a pool? Empty water out, smash up the concrete sides and base (most of which could be reused as fill), fill in the hole with rubble, add topsoil and turf. Job done! Alot of the peoples problem was very little access. You see you have to get this equipment into the backyard and the houses were spaced close together so it would have also required tearing down some fences and yards and rebuilding them afterwards. It might be cheaper if the pool is in an area with easy access. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891/38 "2014-06-07T13:54:59Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > They’re very uncommon here in Israel. Most people live in apartments, not detached homes - we don’t have sprawling suburbs - and water is scarce and relatively expensive. Plus, getting building permits for these sort of thing can be a pain in the neck, and unlike Greece, the Israeli authorities tend to enforce these sort of things. The first part for Spain. Even for areas with detached homes or rowhouses, most of them either do not have a garden or have one square meter’s worth of grass. It is much more common to have one in a second-home\* close to the same town where you live than in your home; there are rural areas where people have two homes because one is the family’s ancestral farm (or vegetable garden) and the other one is where they live. In my hometown there is one house which is known as “the house with the pool”, because they got one back in the 70s (they haven’t used it for decades). - Some of these, such as (hobby) vegetable gardens with a water deposit that in the summer is used as a pool, aren’t even proper second-homes, although there may be beds. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-backyard-swimming-pools-in-non-us-countries/689891.md?page=1)